


Undead Origins II

by Whiskey_With_Patron



Series: Undead Origins [2]
Category: Hollywood Undead (Band)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-31
Updated: 2019-05-31
Packaged: 2020-04-05 06:46:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19043296
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Whiskey_With_Patron/pseuds/Whiskey_With_Patron
Summary: In this fan-made sequel to the comic Undead Origins, the members of Hollywood Undead dive deeper into the mystery of Book Technologies. Recently, celebrities in Hollywood have been getting involved in scandals and fading into irrelevancy, while younger stars have been taking their places. Most people who show up in Hollywood don't get famous right away, but these young idols are popping up all over the place. The guys figure that it has something to do with the recent return of Councilman Book. They come up with a plan to take him down once again- and hopefully this time, he'll stay down.





	Undead Origins II

People hear different things about Hollywood. Most first hear that it's the place where dreams come true. Later on, they figure that it's a place of sadness and broken dreams. What they never seem to realize is that it's just a city like any other.

Still, that doesn't stop young people from taking their lives and moving them to Los Angeles. They're disappointed when they realize that L.A. isn't the city of dreams.

It's just another city.

 

J-Dog sighed as Charlie Scene tumbled through the door of 1 Stop Shop once again. The store owner slammed the door shut as Charlie face-planted on the pavement, his bluetooth falling out of his ear.

"You'll have to get a new bluetooth at this rate," Funny Man said as Charlie stood up and dusted himself off.

Charlie shoved his bluetooth back in his ear, and the five of them left the store behind and walked down the street. "I can still teach you to fight," Danny offered. He made a fist and mimed an uppercut to the air.

Charlie shook his head. "I'm not going to fight him. I just exist to piss him off."

Johnny 3 Tears rolled his eyes. "You exist to piss everyone off."

It had been about a month since their run-in with Book Technologies, and the guys had more or less put it behind them- that is, they would have if not for the recent return of Councilman Book. True, the guy was missing both of his eyes now (thanks to one of Charlie's very close friends), but that didn't stop him. He'd managed to convince the media that everything had just been some sort of publicity stunt, and that his injuries were only a freak accident. A lot of Los Angeles' citizens didn't believe it, but those who had supported Book did their best to create false evidence to back up his claims.

Danny spotted a small crowd of people on the other side of the street and held out an arm to stop the rest of the guys. "Hey, what's going on over there?"

They all looked where Danny was pointing. The crowd was gathered around some young girl with blond hair. She smiled at the group around her as people took pictures and asked her to sign various things.

Johnny recognized the girl immediately. "One of those new singers. Popped up out of nowhere a couple weeks ago."

J-Dog and Funny exchanged a worried glance. Young people had started arriving in Hollywood and immediately rising to fame out of nowhere. What's more, older stars were getting involved in social media scandals and falling off the radar just for these younger stars to take their places. No one knew why this was happening, but the guys didn't think it was a coincidence that Book had come back at around the same time these stars rose to fame.

Their city was changing, that was for sure. No one in Los Angeles had been the same since the events that happened a month ago.

 

Danny trudged up the stairs of his apartment building. The elevator was broken, so he was forced to walk up five floors to get to his apartment. He finally reached his floor and dug his key out of his pocket.

He spotted someone in the hallway ahead of him. He paused and saw that it was a lady holding a notepad and a pencil. She stopped in front of a door and knocked. "Hello? I'm here for the interview!"

Danny raised an eyebrow. The guy who lived in that apartment was a total scumbag. Who would want to talk to him?

The door opened and Danny's eyes grew wide. His neighbor usually walked around in dirty sweatpants and a grimy t-shirt. Now he stood in the doorway wearing a clean shirt, a leather jacket, and shiny new shoes.

Danny's neighbor saw him staring and waved. Danny hesitantly waved back.

The interviewer disappeared into the apartment and his neighbor shut the door. Danny stood in the hallway in front of his apartment and shook his head in disbelief. "What the fuck...?"

 

Funny Man and J-Dog were the first ones to arrive at King Don's bar that night. Another group had taken their usual place in the booth near the door, but other than them, Funny, J-Dog, and Don were the only ones there. J-Dog rolled a blunt while Funny messed with a pile of broken parts he had scattered over the pool table. Don had turned the TV on, and it was showing an interview with Councilman Book.

J-Dog walked over from the bar and pulled out a lighter. "How's it going, Stoney MacGyver?" he asked as he lit his blunt.

Funny Man sighed and tossed the parts onto the table in frustration. "Don't you think this situation is a little familiar? Book is popular, people are suddenly picking themselves up and becoming successful-"

"Yeah," J-Dog said. "I get it. We should come up with a plan. We're going to have to take him on again sometime."

"What we should do is storm in there and fuck their shit up again!" Funny said, leaning against the pool table.

"Whose shit are we fucking up?" Johnny asked as he walked into the bar.

"No one's yet," J-Dog answered. He glanced up at the TV. "Not until we come up with a plan."

Johnny sat down at the bar, and Don immediately began pouring him a drink. "Well, we'd better come up with something fast. Book is getting more popular. He's going to-"

The door swung open and Danny walked in. "Hey guys. What are we talking about?"

"Book," Funny Man said. "What he might be planning."

Danny looked up at the screen as Don passed him a shotglass full of whiskey. "Maybe he's not planning anything. Maybe he's just trying to be a normal politician. Not saying that he should still be in office, but... We defeated him."

Johnny downed a shot. "Not completely. He's still alive. We didn't take him down, we only set him back."

The door opened and Charlie walked in, his parrot on his shoulder. He sat down at the bar and the bird flew over to its perch next to the bar. "You're here on time for once," Johnny commented. He'd already gone from drinking to piling lines of cocaine on the bar.

Charlie shrugged. "Had nothing better to do." He glared up at the TV screen. "Wonder what that fucker's planning now."

"Nothing good," Funny Man muttered. He looked up at the door as a few other usual customers walked in and took their places at their usual booths. King Don immediately began mixing drinks.

Danny glanced up at the TV screen and did a double take. "Whoa, that's my neighbor!"

The others turned to the screen. The channel seemed to have gone from politics to celebrities. A picture of a clean shaven man dressed in nice clothes flashed across the screen.

J-Dog raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

Danny nodded. "Yeah... Don't know how he got famous."

"Maybe it's robot replacements this time!" Charlie suggested. "Or aliens!"

His parrot squawked from its perch. "Aliens!"

J-Dog gazed out the front window of the bar. His eyes widened when he saw an all too familiar face making its way towards them.

"Charlie!" he yelled, reaching over and tugging on Charlie's sweater. "Look!"

Charlie looked where J-Dog was pointing and almost spat out his whiskey. The redheaded scientist lady from Book Technologies was walking down the sidewalk directly towards the bar.

"Shit!" Johnny said. The five of them dashed for the nearest booth, much to Don's confusion. J-Dog pulled his hood over his head and sat on the side facing away from the door. Charlie slid into the seat next to him. Johnny zipped up his jacket to hide the 3 tattoo on his neck before shoving Danny into the booth. Charlie took off his hat and handed it to Danny to cover his bleach blond hair. Funny Man put up his hood and tucked his hair into his sweater, then sat next to Johnny on the side facing the door.

The guys weren't expecting this. They didn't think that scientist lady would ever come to their part of town. They weren't sure what to do. They didn't want to start a fight in the bar again, and if she had any security guards nearby, there was no doubt that a fight would break out. She had only seen Charlie and J-Dog's faces, but they covered up all their visible tattoos and any other defining features as she walked in the door.

She made her way straight to the bar and sat down. "Hello," she said to Don. "I would like a drink, please."

"What kind of drink?" Don asked.

She hesitated. "Um... do you have water?"

"Right on." King Don turned around and pulled a glass off the shelf.

"Why is she here?" Danny whispered, still tucking his hair into Charlie's snapback.

"I don't know," J-Dog said. He risked a glance behind him at the lady. She glanced around the room and J-Dog whirled back around.

Funny Man's eyes widened. "Charlie," he hissed. He nodded at something near the wall. "Bird."

Charlie turned and saw the lady staring at his parrot, still perched on its stand next to the bar. Her brow was furrowed as if she was thinking. Just as Charlie thought she was going to say something, King Don set a glass of water on the bar in front of her. She turned back to the bar and Danny quickly stood up and opened the window next to their table. Charlie waved frantically at his parrot, and the bird took off and soared outside. Danny slammed the window shut and sat back down just as the lady turned around again.

She glanced around the bar suspiciously. Her gaze settled on Funny Man for a moment before she turned back to the bar and took a sip of her water. She looked up at the TV. "Mister," she said, "can you please turn up the volume?"

King Don grabbed a broom handle and raised it to the TV above his head. Johnny craned his neck to look at the screen. The young blonde star they had seen on the street earlier that night was sitting in a chair, speaking to a reporter.

"So," the reporter said, "I think we're all dying to know: how did you become such a well-known musician in such a short amount of time?"

The star smiled sweetly. "Well, I would love to say that it was through hard work and perseverance, but the truth is, I spent so long trying to get somewhere on my own and I never got anywhere. It was only when Book Industries and their new record label offered to sign me that I actually got anywhere. In fact, I can't think of a single star these days who isn't endorsed by Book Industries! The company knows how hard it is for people to succeed in the music industry. They just want to make people's talent known."

King Don raised the broomstick again and pushed the volume knob back down. "Not a fan?" the redheaded scientist asked.

"Not exactly." Don turned back to the shelf of alcohol and started mixing some more drinks.

Funny Man heard footsteps and glanced behind him. One of the customers had stood up from his booth and started towards the bar. He tapped the scientist lady on the shoulder and she turned around. "Can I help you?" she asked.

"You're with Book, right?"

She blinked in surprise. "Whatever makes you think that?"

The guy hesitated. "Could you get me a record deal?" he asked finally.

"Oh..." the lady said. "Oh! Yes, I can do that. I would need to hear what you can do, of course, but if I can give you my email..."

She dug a pen out of her pocket and scribbled something on the guy's hand. She took a handful of money and set it on the counter next to her unfinished glass of water. "Thank you for the drink, sir." She stood up from her seat. "And you be sure to send me a sample of your work."

King Don picked up the money she had left. "Hey! You overpaid for your-" He stopped when she slammed the door shut behind her. "Ah, whatever."

Johnny let out a sigh of relief. J-Dog opened the window and Charlie leaned out to call for his parrot. Funny put his hood back down and Danny took off Charlie's snapback.

"What the fuck was she doing here?" J-Dog wondered aloud.

Johnny glanced at the guy who had asked the redhead lady about a record deal. "My guess is she was out recruiting."

Charlie shoved his hat back on his head as his parrot settled on his shoulder. "What, like she's trying to get people to sign with Book Industries? What is Book even gaining from this anyway?"

"Who knows?" Funny Man stood up and went to the bar. He sat down and glanced at the guy who had spoken to the scientist lady. The guy saw him staring and immediately started for the door.

"Never thought he'd be the type to throw away his life for fame," Don muttered as he began pouring a drink for Funny Man.

"I know that look," J-Dog said, walking over and sitting down next to Funny. "You've got a plan."

"Maybe," Funny admitted as Don passed him a shotglass. "Maybe not the best plan, but it's something."

"What is it?" Danny asked excitedly.

Funny shrugged. "I saw that lady's email. We could-"

"No no no no no!" Charlie protested. "We are not pretending to be a band and signing a legal document for a record deal just so we can figure out what Book is planning!"

"Faaaaaq you!" his parrot screeched.

Funny rolled his eyes. "No need to get so defensive, it was just an idea! Besides, it's not like you or J-Dog could do it. She already knows you guys."

J-Dog stared down at the bar, deep in thought. "I mean... it's not the worst plan. Not exactly how we roll-"

Danny cracked open a beer. "We usually go straight into unnecessary violence without coming up with an actual plan."

"But it could work," J-Dog finished.

Funny knocked back a shot and held out his glass for Don to refill. "Not really sure how to go about it, though. I mean, I can't sing for shit."

"We can cross that bridge when we get to it," Johnny said. "It's the only plan we've got, aside from 'burst into the new Book Industries building and beat the shit out of everyone'."

Danny finished off his beer and cracked open another. "Why couldn't it be robot replacements?"

 

So it was decided. Funny Man, Danny, and Johnny would try to get into Book Industries by pretending to be artists interested in a record deal. They were a little apprehensive about the plan- after all, they weren't used to going undercover.

King Don made them email accounts to contact the scientist lady from. As it turned out, her name was Dr. Judy. They decided to have Danny and Johnny go in as a duo while Funny Man went in solo. Each of them had received a reply from Dr. Judy within a few hours of emailing her. Funny was supposed to visit the new Book Industries sometime in the evening and Danny and Johnny had to go in not long after. Charlie, J-Dog, and King Don would be back at the bar, waiting for them to come back.

Funny Man stood in front of the new Book Industries building alone. This building was much smaller than the old one, but it was still pretty tall. It was right in the middle of the city, much less secluded than the last one. There was less security now- no one he'd seen go in had to show an I.D. card. Only two security guards stood by the doors.

He walked towards the doors, praying that his hair didn't fall out of his snapback as he passed the guards. He shot a quick text to J-Dog as soon as he was safely inside.

The room he was in appeared to be a reception area. People sat in chairs and on couches scattered through the room, and a desk with a lady sitting behind it was over at the far wall. He made his way over to the desk. "Hello," he said. "Um... I'm here to see Dr. Judy?"

"Right here!"

Funny turned around and saw the redheaded lady walking towards him. "Glad to see you could make it!" she said. "Book Records is very excited to start working with you. Follow me, please."

She turned and started towards a door. He hesitantly followed after her. He was starting to regret coming up with this plan, but there was no turning back now.

 

"He's in," J-Dog said to the others as a text from Funny Man popped up on his screen.

"Nice," Johnny said. He lifted his head from the cocaine on the bar and wiped the blood from his nose.

Danny looked up at the TV screen above Don's head, where Book was talking about his record label. "Why are people suddenly so blind to all the shit Book's done? They all saw what happened last month."

"It's the media, man," Charlie said, holding a cracker up to his shoulder for his parrot. "Book's paid people to cover it up."

Johnny glanced at his watch. "It's almost time for us to go in."

"Fuck," Danny sighed. He leaned over the counter and held out his empty glass. "Hey Don?"

Don took the glass. "Right on."

Charlie sipped at his beer and caught a glimpse of J-Dog staring down at his phone with concern. "What's up?" Charlie asked.

"Just..." J-Dog hesitated. "Do you think he's going to do something stupid?"

Charlie reached over and put a hand on J-Dog's shoulder. "It's Funny Man. Of course he's gonna do something stupid."

 

"And here are the recording booths," Dr. Judy said.

Funny Man simply nodded in response as he followed her through the building. He had barely said a word in case she might recognize his voice, but he also hadn't found out anything useful yet.

Dr. Judy stopped in her tracks and pulled a phone out of her pocket. "Oh, I'm sorry! I have to go take care of something. I'll be back in about ten minutes. Feel free to look around a bit!" She rushed off and disappeared down a hallway.

Ten minutes.

That was enough time to do some snooping, right?

Funny Man glanced around cautiously before ducking into a corridor. He ran towards the other end, glancing up at the doors on either side of him as he went. He wasn't sure what exactly he was looking for, but he figured he'd know when he saw it.

He turned a corner and came across a door that said "Employees Only." He looked left and right down the hall to make sure nobody could see him. Once he was certain he was safe, he reached out and turned the knob. "Shit," he muttered. It was locked.

He backed up and then hurled himself at the door. It swung open and he fell to the ground on the other side. He stood up as quickly as he could and gazed around the room.

"Whoa," he whispered. The room was covered wall to wall in screens. Images flashed across each one. Most of them were gruesome pictures of people's heads being cut open or needles being stuck in their brains. He recognized that pretty blond star they had seen on TV getting an injection in her neck. He realized that he'd seen images like these before.

Back in Book Technologies a month ago.

Funny Man took his phone out his pocket and snapped a couple pictures. They all knew that the technology for the process that turned people into compliant zombies was still around, but they didn't think that Book would start doing it again so soon. It made Funny Man angry that they were doing it on these young people who just wanted to make their talents known.

He turned around, ready to go back to the recording booths, but he stopped when he saw Dr. Judy standing right in the doorway. Three security guards stood behind her.

She grinned wickedly. "I knew you were going to try something."

 

Danny and Johnny walked back into the bar. Danny sat down and King Don immediately set a drink in front of him. Danny looked tired, and Johnny just looked annoyed.

"Nothing!" Johnny said as he sat down next to Charlie. "We found absolutely nothing!"

Danny chugged his drink and handed his glass back to Don for a refill. "We had to leave when they asked to hear our work."

Charlie raised an eyebrow. "Where's Funny Man?"

Johnny blinked. "We thought he already came back."

"I'll text him," King Don said.

They all waited as Don fired off a text to Funny Man. They waited five minutes, then ten.

Finally J-Dog stood up. "That's it. He's either been brainwashed into staying there or they found him out."

"We can't just barge in there without a plan-" Johnny started.

"What else are we supposed to do?" Charlie interrupted. "Just let them have Funny Man? They almost got J-Dog last time!"

Danny nodded. "Charlie's right. Book already tried to take our city." He looked up at the many masks hung on the walls. A shiny golden mask sat among them. "He's still planning something, and if Funny's in danger now..." He reached up and took the gold mask off the wall. "We're going to have to do something about it."

"And fast," J-Dog added. "I know how tempting the process can be. They might have already convinced him to do it."

Johnny looked up at the masks on the wall. "Fuck it," he sighed. "Let's go take our city back. Again."

 

Funny Man sat in a chair, Dr. Judy facing him and scribbling on a clipboard. He'd lost his snapback somehow as the guards had dragged him to this secluded room somewhere in Book Industries.

"I'm not doing your bullshit process," he said.

Dr. Judy paused in her writing. "Really? You're sure?"

"Yeah, I'm fucking sure! You think I'd want to be a mindless zombie my whole life?"

Dr. Judy sighed. "Mister Funny Man, you're not aware of how the process helps people. You're only focusing on the negatives.The world is changing, and we are only trying to help people adjust to it. Surely you can-"

"No!" Funny shouted. "You're brainwashing people into being okay with what corporations like you are doing to the world!"

She shook her head. "I can see that this will take a lot of convincing." She leaned back in her chair. "But we have time. Now tell me, Mr. Funny, what are your deepest traumas and darkest secrets?"

 

And off they went once again, to save their friend and their city. They had to be a little more discreet with their rescue since Book Industries was now in plain view of the entire city, so they couldn't exactly blow up the building this time. But they hoped they could get in and save Funny Man without getting caught. Of course, they brought an arsenal of handmade weapons, so they weren't too worried about getting caught.

J-Dog parked King Don's car close to the building. It seemed to be closed, as all the lights were off and no security guards were left outside. They all left the vehicle and ran straight up to the doors. They would have crashed the car right through the front window again, but Don was still annoyed at them for wrecking his car last time they tangled with Book Technologies.

Charlie tried to opened the doors, but they wouldn't budge. "Fuck," he muttered. "Maybe we can pick the lock or-"

He whirled around when he heard a loud crash. Danny stood next to the ruined front window, his nail-studded bat in hand. Glass was scattered across the ground at his feet. He gestured to the broken window. "After you."

Charlie's parrot took off from his shoulder and swooped into the building. No alarms went off, so the guys all hopped through the opening. The emerged in a reception area with a desk to one side and an escalator to the other.

"Where do you think he might be?" J-Dog asked.

"Don't know," Johnny answered, straightening his blue and silver mask. "The recording booths are down there," he said, pointing to a hallway next to the desk.

Danny looked at the escalator. "Not sure what's up there, though."

"Let's find out." J-Dog started towards the escalator. The others followed closely behind him.

They reached the top of the escalator and saw a security guard stationed a desk. They looked up and immediately whirled around and slapped a red button on the wall. Johnny punched them in the face just as alarms started blaring through the building.

Charlie lowered his sunglasses for a moment to stare down the corridor beyond the escalator. "I think we've got company!"

Dozens of guards poured into the hallway. J-Dog hefted a battle axe that King Don had made the last time they ambushed Book Technologies. He'd brought it along for Funny Man, but it seemed that J-Dog would get some use out of it before they rescued their friend.

Johnny lunged at a guard and decked them in the face. Danny chugged a bottle of beer (again, not sure where he got it). He tried to hit it over someone's head, but he missed and smashed it against the wall. He held the bottle by the neck and stabbed the sharp, broken end into a guard's neck. Charlie's bird had a hold of someone's eyes. Charlie himself was busy tossing someone down the escalator.

A guard threw a punch at J-Dog and he instinctively backed away. The guard tried to hit him again, but he reared back the axe and swung it with all his might. It sliced directly through the guard's head, splattering blood and brains all over the pristine white walls. "Holy shit!" he yelled. "I'll have to get Don to make me one of these!"

They pushed through the last of the guards and ran down the hallway. They stopped when the hall branched off into two corridors. King Don had tried to track Funny's location back at the bar, but Funny's phone was either broken or dead. They hadn't found anything.

"We could-" Danny started, but J-Dog didn't let him finish.

"We are not splitting up," he insisted. "We stick together."

They thought for a moment. There weren't even signs anywhere on the walls that might tell them what kinds of rooms were up here.

"We can always come back if we go down the wrong hall," Johnny suggested.

Charlie nodded. "Good point. Let's go."

He started down the hall on the right, and the others followed. Charlie's bird flew ahead. They didn't know how long it might take to find Funny Man, but they weren't leaving until they did.

They ran down the hallway, but they stopped in their tracks when they saw another security guard standing outside a door. Johnny glanced at J-Dog. "You think...?"

J-Dog shrugged and lifted his axe. "Only one way to find out."

The four of them all ran forward. Before the guard even realized they were there, Charlie had tackled them at the waist and Danny hit them once over the head with his bat. A sickening crack echoed through the hallway as the weapon made contact.

J-Dog turned to the door. He hesitantly turned the knob on the door and opened it a crack. Sure enough, Funny Man's voice emitted from the crack in the door.

"You're doing the process on people who just want to share their talents with the world!" he shouted. "You're turning them into mindless zombies just so they can promote your company! How is that making the world better?"

Another person sighed. J-Dog recognized it as the voice of Dr. Judy. "Mr. Funny Man, I've explained this- they're not promoting the company, they're promoting the process so we can spread our message and let other people decide whether they want to make the world better. Were you not listening to a word I said?" She sounded exhausted, as if she'd been having this conversation for a long time.

J-Dog opened the door a bit more to see another security guard standing very close to them. He quickly shoved the door open and swung his axe at the guard. Dr. Judy jumped up from her seat and backed away as the guard went down in a splash of blood.

"Guys!" Funny's face broke into a grin. He stood up from his chair. "You're here!"

"We weren't just going to let them brainwash you," Charlie said.

J-Dog held up the axe. "I believe this is yours." He tossed it to Funny Man, and he caught it in one hand.

"We also brought you something," J-Dog continued. He reached into his pockets and pulled out a beanie and a pair of fingerless gloves. Funny took them in one hand while J-Dog pulled something out of his jacket and held it out. It was a dark blue goalie mask.

Funny pulled the beanie over his head and slipped on the gloves. "Mr. Dog?" Dr. Judy said hesitantly. "Um... you know, I still have your forms. Maybe you would like to reconsider?"

J-Dog turned to look at her. He didn't need to take off his mask- everyone knew he was glaring daggers at her. "Fuck off."

Funny Man put on his mask, and the five of them left the room. Funny considered taking his axe and just decapitating her right then and there, but he figured that she wouldn't be a problem to them any longer.

"What now?" Charlie asked.

"We should leave in case the police show up," Danny said.

Funny Man shook his head. "No. We have to end this. We have to go straight for Book."

"Is he even in the building?" Johnny wondered.

Danny opened up another beer. "He'd probably be on the top floor, if he's in here at all. Only the bottom floor is used up by the record label."

They considered their options. They had saved Funny Man. They could get out of there and drive away without anyone but Dr. Judy knowing they were there.

But if they left now, Book would still be out there. He could still come back, and all of this would start over again. They had to stop this now.

"There's an elevator that way," Funny said, pointing down the hallway. "We can get up to the top that way instead of climbing escalators."

They all exchanged a glance. It was decided. They would go find Book and take him down.

They followed Funny Man down the hall and piled into the elevator as soon as the doors opened. They waited as it took them up to the top floor.

"Did you find out what they're doing here?" Charlie asked Funny Man.

Funny Man adjusted his mask. "Yeah. They found a bunch of kids desperate to become stars and offered them a record deal if they went through with the procedure. They pulled some strings to make their music more popular, and then once these stars got famous, they signed an agreement to promote Book Industries. Book also paid people to start drama with other stars to make them less popular so people would like these new ones more."

"That's pretty fucked," Johnny muttered.

"So they were just doing all this so Book could become popular again?" Danny said.

Funny nodded. "Looks like it."

The doors opened and the guys hesitantly stepped out. They emerged in another huge reception area filled with chairs and couches. A few hallways branched off from the room.

"Well that wasn't so hard," Johnny said.

Then tons of security guards poured from the halls into the room. Each one looked absolutely enraged and ready to kick their asses.

"Oh yeah," Charlie said sarcastically, "that was so easy."

They all rushed for the guards at once. J-Dog ducked under someone's fist and kicked at their legs. They toppled over and J-Dog gave them one last kick in the head to knock them out before moving on to beat up someone else. Danny had perched his mask on top of his head. He expertly dodged a guard's fists as he chugged his beer. As soon as he finished, he broke the bottle over the guard's head and stabbed someone else with the broken end. Charlie picked someone up and threw them halfway across the room. His parrot descended on the guard he threw and got to work on their eyes. Johnny body-slammed someone into the wall and they fell over, completely unconscious.

Three guards all rushed Funny at once, and he swiped at them with his axe. They all went down in an explosion of blood. "That's what you get for siding with a brainwashing asshole!" he yelled before moving onto another victim.

Johnny kicked one last guard into the wall, and they all stopped to catch their breath. J-Dog stood in the middle of the room and crossed his arms, glaring at the one door in the room that had the words "Councilman Book" engraved on it. Funny Man rested his axe on his shoulder and stood next to J-Dog, staring at the door with a mix of fear and excitement. Danny slung an arm around J-Dog's shoulders and rested his bat on the ground. Charlie walked up next to Danny as his parrot swooped over and landed on his shoulder with bloody talons. Johnny stopped next to Funny and shoved his hands in his pockets, ready to burst into Book's office and get this over with.

All five of them were hesitant. They didn't know if Book had even more security on the other side of that door. And if he did, they didn't even have any backup like they did last time. They couldn't even rely on King Don to come help, because they'd used his car. They were completely alone.

But maybe being alone was enough. The five of them had been reunited once again. They were a crew. A team. There wasn't much they couldn't accomplish when all five of them were together. They were sick of seeing their city being manipulated. And if they had to take down the biggest tech mogul and politician in Los Angeles, then so be it.

J-Dog walked up to the door and took hold of the handle. Surprisingly, it wasn't locked. He glanced back at the others and they all nodded. He took a deep breath and threw open to door to find...

Nothing.

The room was empty, save for a small desk and a chair. J-Dog walked in, looking around furiously in case something would pop out of nowhere and attack them. The rest of the guys followed.

"Is he not here?" Charlie whispered.

They stood in the room, all incredibly confused. Then Johnny heard footsteps and whirled around. Dr. Judy stood in the doorway. Before he could react, she slammed the door shut.

The guys all rushed for the door and desperately tried to open it. "She must have locked it!" J-Dog said.

Johnny ran at the door and slammed his body against it. It didn't budge. "That's one hell of a lock," Charlie mumbled.

Johnny felt something hot at his feet and looked down. His heart skipped a beat when he saw what it was.

Fire.

They all backed away from the door as blazing yellow flames began to spread across the carpet. They couldn't get through the door. There was no way out.

Except...

Danny turned to look at the far wall behind the desk. It was entirely made of glass. They were definitely more than fifteen stories up, but it was their only option. He pointed to the glass wall. "Guys..."

Charlie turned to where he was pointing and shook his head. "No fucking way! We are not jumping out of a building! We have a better chance with the fire!"

"If we stay in here and survive, Book's goons are just going to come in here and drag us out," Johnny said. "Besides, we might be able to climb down using window ledges, or-"

Funny reared back his axe and smashed the glass wall. He tried not to watch as broken shards fell down to the street below. "Let's get this over with."

They all stared at one another. This might be it. They might die right then and there. But even if they had to, they would rather do it trying to escape rather then just letting themselves burn.

Johnny sighed. "Fuck it. Let's go."

 

Dr. Judy held her phone up to her ear as the other line rang. "Hello," she said when they finally picked up. "It's Dr. Judy."

"Judy!" Councilman Book's voice said on the other end. "How did it go?"

"I set the fire in the office," she stated. "Don't worry. They're completely out of our hair now."

She looked up at the burning building as people on the street began to gather around it. Two fires in just as many months, at the same company? They must have been shocked.

"Good," Book said. "Hopefully no one else is going to try sticking their nose into our business."

She grinned. "I'm sure no one will."

She hung up and shoved her phone back into her pocket. She glanced around at the crowd and froze when she saw a familiar face.

J-Dog was walking through the crowd, completely unharmed. He'd taken off his mask, and so did his friends, it seemed. They all pushed through the people and made their way to the parking lot. Charlie Scene's parrot flew above them and landed on a car. She watched in disbelief as they piled into the vehicle and sped away.

She took out her phone and dialed Book's number. "Councilman Book?" she whispered. "I think we still have a problem."

 

And so they saved the day once again. Or, they saved Funny Man, at least. They hadn't taken Book down. Not yet.

"I can't believe we survived that!" Danny shouted in excitement as they made their way down the sidewalk towards King Don's bar. Danny had twisted his ankle in the landing and was leaning on Charlie to walk, but other than that, they were all fine.

Johnny turned his mask over in his hands. "We're alive, but so is Book. This isn't over. We have to find him."

J-Dog stuck a blunt in his mouth and lit it. "Yeah. He's just gonna keep coming back if we don't do something about it."

Funny Man glanced back at the smoke from the burning building. "Hopefully he won't try anything soon."

Charlie sighed. "Fuck Book, man. Let's just live for a bit."

His parrot squawked. "Fuck Book!"

"Charlie's right," Danny said. "Let's just chill for now. And once Book comes back, we'll be ready!"

They stopped in front of the bar. Funny held the door open as Danny limped into the building. Johnny and Charlie followed him. J-Dog was about to go in after them, but he stopped in the doorway. "You think we're really going to be able to take Book down?" he asked.

Funny shrugged. "Maybe. We'll just have to wait and see."

They both followed the others into the bar and shut the door. Maybe they would defeat Book, maybe they wouldn't. There was no way to know. But right now, they were just going to live.

And when Book did come back, they would be there to meet him.

**Author's Note:**

> yes i am making a third one, and no you cant stop me


End file.
